Chapter 6: Full-Time

Several months after quitting her lab job, Sugi set up her filming equipment in her apartment. The process had become familiar enough that she could do it half-asleep, though she still checked each step carefully. She unfolded the tripod’s legs near the center of the living room, where the light was best in the afternoon. She tightened the phone mount and slotted her phone into place. The ring light stood already assembled in the corner, plugged into an extension cord snaking across the floor. She switched it on, adjusting the brightness until it threw an even glow across the space.

She wasn’t filming a meal today. This was something different, something she did every few weeks now for her audience. A weigh-in and measurements video.

The scale sat waiting on the floor, a large digital platform model she’d ordered specifically for these updates. It could handle weights up to five hundred pounds, which had seemed like overkill when she bought it months ago. Now the number felt less abstract.

She positioned the tripod so the camera would capture both her and the scale’s display. A test shot showed her feet at the bottom of the frame and plenty of space above for her whole body. Good.

Sugi stepped back from the setup, looking at herself in the full-length mirror leaning against the wall. She wore what she usually wore for these videos: a simple black sports bra and matching stretch shorts. The outfit left nothing to imagination, showing every curve and swell clearly. Her reflection showed a body that bore little resemblance to the one she’d seen in mirrors a year ago.

Her stomach formed a broad, heavy shelf that started just below her breasts and curved outward before sloping down toward her thighs. It hung low enough now that when she stood straight, she couldn’t see her feet past the rounded mound. The skin there was stretched taut, marked with faint pink lines along the sides where it had expanded most rapidly. Her hips had widened into solid pillars that supported her new weight, and her thighs brushed together constantly when she walked, leaving red marks on the inner skin by the end of the day.

Her arms were thicker too, with soft pads of fat accumulating on her upper arms and shoulders. Her face had lost all its angularity, rounding into full cheeks that pushed her glasses slightly higher on her nose. Even her hands looked different—plumper fingers with knuckles that didn’t show as prominently anymore.

She turned sideways in the mirror, watching how her profile extended forward in a continuous arc from chest to knees. There was no waistline anymore, just a smooth slope of flesh. When she moved, everything moved with a slight delay, a gentle jiggle that had become part of her physical reality.

Sugi walked back to the camera setup slowly. Her gait had changed over these months of full-time content creation. She moved with a careful, deliberate pace now, planting each foot firmly before shifting her weight forward. Stairs required planning, and bending over for anything on the floor was an involved process of squatting and bracing herself with one hand. The apartment itself had adapted to her needs—chairs without arms, a shower stool, a higher bed frame that made getting up easier.

She tapped her phone screen to start recording. The red recording light glowed steadily. She took a breath that felt shallower than it used to, her lungs having less room to expand with everything pressing upward inside her ribcage.

“Hey everyone,” she said, looking directly at the lens. Her voice sounded a little breathier these days too, though she tried to keep it steady for recordings. “Chubby Cutie here. It’s time for another update video—weigh-in and measurements.”

She gestured toward the scale on the floor beside her. “This is my three-month check-in since going full-time with this channel. Honestly it feels longer than three months sometimes, but that’s what my calendar says.”

She stepped onto the scale carefully, placing one foot first before shifting her full weight onto the platform. The digital numbers flashed for a moment as the scale calibrated itself, then settled on a reading.

Three hundred seventy pounds.

Sugi looked down at the number, letting it sit there for the camera to capture clearly. Three hundred seventy. That was up from three hundred twenty at her last weigh-in video three months ago. Fifty pounds in three months. The math worked out to about four pounds per week on average, which tracked with what she’d been consuming honestly.

“Three hundred seventy,” she said aloud for the recording, keeping her tone matter-of-fact though something tightened in her chest at hearing the number spoken. “That’s my current weight as of today.”

She stepped off the scale, the platform rising slightly as it was relieved of her weight. The movement made her breathe out sharply, a small huff of air that was becoming more common with any exertion.

Next came the measuring tape. She picked up the soft fabric tape from where it lay coiled on a side table. This part required more maneuvering.

“Starting with my belly circumference,” she said, holding one end of the tape against the front of her stomach at what she estimated was its widest point. She had to reach around herself with both arms to bring the tape behind her back, which required leaning forward slightly to create enough slack in her midsection to reach all the way around. Her arms weren’t long enough anymore to easily encircle her own body—she had to stretch, feeling the tape pull tight against her flesh as she brought the two ends together in front.

She looked down at where the tape met itself. The number read sixty-two inches.

“Sixty-two inches around my belly,” she called out, letting go of the tape so it could retract loosely around her middle before she removed it completely.

Hips were next. She positioned the tape lower, around the widest part of her hips and buttocks where they curved out dramatically from her waistline—or where her waistline would have been if she still had one anyway. This measurement was easier to take since she didn’t have to reach as far around herself.

“Hips are fifty-eight inches,” she said after checking the number.

Thighs came last. She lifted one leg slightly, resting her foot on a low stool she kept nearby specifically for these videos. Wrapping the tape around her thigh required bending over, which made her breathe harder as her stomach compressed against her legs. She took the measurement at the thickest point midway up her thigh.

“Right thigh is thirty-four inches,” she announced.

She repeated the process on her other thigh, getting nearly the same number. “Left thigh is thirty-three and a half.”

Sugi straightened up slowly, one hand going to her lower back automatically as she did so. Her back ached more often these days, especially after standing for longer periods or bending over repeatedly.

She walked back to stand directly in front of the camera again, holding the measuring tape loosely in one hand. “So that’s current stats: three hundred seventy pounds overall, sixty-two inch belly, fifty-eight inch hips, and about thirty-four inch thighs.”

She paused for a moment, looking at the camera as if making eye contact with thousands of unseen viewers simultaneously. “I want to thank everyone who’s been supporting this channel,” she said, her tone shifting into something more personal now that the clinical measurements were done. “Seriously. The tips, the comments, just watching the videos—it all means so much.”

She took another breath, this one deeper despite the restriction she felt in her chest. “A lot of you know I quit my lab job several months back to do this full-time. And I just want to say… that decision was one of the best I’ve ever made honestly.”

The words felt true as she said them even though they also felt risky to admit out loud somehow.

“Working as Chubby Cutie full-time has let me focus completely on creating content you all enjoy,” she continued, gesturing vaguely around her apartment-turned-studio space. “I can plan challenges properly instead of squeezing them into evenings after work. I can recover properly after bigger meals instead of trying to hide how stuffed I am at an office job.”

She smiled slightly then, a genuine expression that softened her rounded features. “And obviously I can eat more consistently throughout the day now without worrying about sneaking snacks at a workplace where everyone would notice.”

Her hand drifted down to rest on her stomach unconsciously as she spoke, fingers splaying over the swollen curve there. “The growth has been more consistent these past three months than ever before obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about”

She caught herself rambling internally and brought her focus back to the camera lens.

“Anyway,” she said, bringing both hands together in front of her now. “Thank you again for making this possible. Your support literally pays my rent and keeps me fed.” She gave a small laugh at her own wording there—kept her fed indeed quite literally.

“I’ll be posting some new challenge content later this week,” she added, wrapping up the video segment naturally enough though part of her wanted to keep talking just to fill the quiet space in her apartment lately honestly too quiet sometimes when she wasn’t filming or editing obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She reached forward and tapped her phone screen to stop recording.

The silence returned immediately after the red light vanished from her phone screen. Sugi stood there for another moment in front of the camera setup before moving away slowly toward her computer desk.

She transferred the video file from her phone to her computer automatically while thinking about what came next today beyond just this update video obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She settled into her desk chair, which was now a specially ordered model with a wider seat and reinforced arms. The video file finished transferring, and she opened her editing software to begin trimming the beginning and end—cutting out her setup fumbling and the moment after she stopped recording when she just stood there catching her breath.

While the software rendered the trimmed clip, she opened her CurveSpace dashboard out of habit. The numbers still gave her a small thrill every time she saw them, even months into doing this full-time.

Follower count: 23,419 Monthly earnings (last 30 days): $3,872 Active premium subscribers: 512

Nearly four thousand dollars last month. More than she’d ever made at the lab, even before taxes. The growth had accelerated after she announced she was going full-time, as if viewers could sense her increased commitment and rewarded it with their attention and tips.

She scrolled through her notifications. New comments on recent videos, mostly positive. A few tips from overnight while she’d been sleeping. Then one notification near the top caught her eye—a tip with an attached request that hadn’t been there when she checked last night before bed.

The sender’s username was something in Korean characters she couldn’t read. The amount was listed as pending, with a note that the tip would only process if she accepted the attached request. She clicked to open the details.

Amount: Variable — $50 per item Status: Pending Acceptance Attached Note: “Would love to see you try San-nakji! $50 for each one you eat on camera. No time limit, just finish what you start.”

Sugi read the note twice. San-nakji. She knew what that was—Korean live octopus. She’d seen videos online of people eating the still-moving tentacles, struggling as the suction cups stuck to their mouths and throats. It was considered a delicacy in some places, though mainly for the novelty and texture rather than taste apparently.

Fifty dollars per octopus. That could add up quickly if she managed several of them. But the thought of eating something still alive, still moving…

A queasy feeling settled in her stomach that had nothing to do with physical fullness. She’d eaten a lot of extreme things for her channel over these past months—massive quantities, bizarre combinations, foods drenched in spicy sauces until her eyes watered. But everything had been cooked, dead, inert matter. This was different.

Curiosity warred with unease inside her. What would it feel like? The descriptions she’d read mentioned a unique texture, the way the tentacles writhed when seasoned with sesame oil, how the suction cups could stick to the roof of your mouth or your tongue if you didn’t chew thoroughly enough. There was an element of danger too—people sometimes choked if they didn’t chew properly, though that was rare with the small portions typically served.

She thought about her audience. They loved seeing her push boundaries. The most popular videos were always the ones where she struggled visibly, where something about the challenge made her genuinely uncomfortable or pushed her beyond what she thought she could do. This would certainly qualify.

And fifty dollars per octopus was good money for relatively little food volume-wise. San-nakji portions were small compared to the massive pizzas and burger challenges she usually did. She could potentially earn hundreds of dollars from a single video if she pushed herself to eat several of them.

Sugi opened a new browser tab and searched for “San-nakji near me.” A few results popped up—mostly Korean grocery stores with live seafood sections rather than restaurants that served it prepared. One store about twenty minutes away by car had reviews mentioning they kept live octopus in tanks for customers who wanted to prepare it at home.

She looked back at the pending request notification on her screen. The interface showed it would expire in forty-eight hours if not accepted or declined. Accepting meant committing to at least trying it on camera, though technically she could back out later if she found she couldn’t do it at all. But backing out after accepting a request looked bad for her channel’s reputation honestly.

Her finger hovered over the trackpad for a long moment before she finally clicked “Accept.”

The notification refreshed immediately, showing the request as accepted and the tip amount now listed as conditional pending completion of the challenge. A message would automatically go to the donor letting them know she’d accepted their request.

Now she needed to actually get the octopus.

Sugi pushed back from her desk and stood up slowly, already planning logistics in her head. She’d need to go to that Korean grocery store today while the idea was still fresh and before she could talk herself out of it. She’d need containers to transport live seafood—the store would probably provide something, but she should check.

But first, what to wear.

Going out in public had become its own kind of challenge these past months as her size increased. Strangers stared sometimes, especially when she was buying large quantities of food or moving slowly through stores. She’d developed strategies for minimizing attention, mainly involving loose clothing that hid her shape somewhat.

Today felt different though. Today she wasn’t just buying groceries—she was buying live octopus for a fetish content video. The shame factor felt higher somehow, even though logically nobody at the store would know what she planned to do with it.

She walked to her bedroom, which was really just an alcove separated from the main living space by a partial wall now that her apartment had essentially become one large studio. Her wardrobe consisted mainly of stretchy leggings, oversized t-shirts, and a few hoodies in increasingly larger sizes.

She chose a dark gray hoodie that zipped up the front—one of her largest, bought recently when even her previous oversized hoodies started pulling tight across her stomach and chest. It hung loosely enough to obscure her shape somewhat, though nothing could completely hide how much space she occupied now.

Sweatpants came next, black with an elastic waistband that stretched comfortably over her hips and belly. She added thick socks and slip-on shoes that didn’t require bending over to tie—a recent necessity as bending had become more difficult.

Then came the disguise elements.

She retrieved a pair of large sunglasses from her dresser even though it was overcast outside today honestly. They covered a significant portion of her face, making her feel less recognizable somehow even though nobody in this city knew her personally anyway except maybe former coworkers who definitely weren’t shopping at Korean grocery stores probably.

A medical mask went into her pocket—she’d put it on when she entered the store. Between the mask, sunglasses, and hood pulled up, very little of her face would be visible.

Looking at herself in the mirror by the door, she saw someone who looked like they were trying too hard not to be seen. The outfit screamed “person hiding something” more than “person running errands.” But it also made her feel safer somehow, insulated from judging eyes by layers of fabric and plastic.

She grabbed her keys and wallet from the bowl by the door, along with a reusable shopping bag just in case.

The walk from her apartment door to her car in the building’s parking lot took about three minutes at her current pace. She moved carefully down the hallway, one hand trailing along the wall for balance as she navigated around corners. The elevator ride down one floor was blessedly empty today.

Her car was a compact sedan that had felt perfectly adequate when she bought it two years ago. Now getting into it required a careful maneuver—angling herself sideways to slide into the seat without hitting the steering wheel with her stomach. Once seated, her belly pressed against the lower part of the steering wheel unless she adjusted the seat all the way back, which put the pedals almost out of reach.

She’d developed a compromise position: seat mostly back but tilted slightly forward so she could reach the pedals while keeping enough distance from the wheel to turn it comfortably. Even then, driving required conscious awareness of how her body filled the space, how movements that used to be automatic now required planning.

The drive to the Korean grocery store took twenty minutes through light midday traffic. Sugi kept both hands on the wheel at ten and two like she’d been taught in driver’s education years ago, though now her arms rested on the shelf of her stomach between her body and the wheel.

She found parking near the store entrance—a lucky spot that meant less walking across the lot. Before getting out, she put on the medical mask from her pocket and adjusted her sunglasses. She pulled the hood up over her head, though it kept slipping back until she zipped the hoodie all the way up to her chin which helped keep it in place somewhat.

Stepping out of the car required bracing one hand on the door frame and pushing herself up gradually. She stood for a moment beside the car letting her body adjust to being upright again before closing the door and locking it with a button on her key fob.

The grocery store entrance slid open automatically as she approached. Cool air washed over her along with familiar grocery store smells—clean floors, faint produce scents, something vaguely fishy from the seafood section probably.

She grabbed a shopping cart immediately, more for something to lean on as she walked than for carrying purchases honestly. The cart’s weight provided stability as she pushed it slowly into the first aisle.

The store was brightly lit with linoleum floors that squeaked under cart wheels. About a dozen other shoppers moved through the aisles—mostly older Korean women examining produce with intense focus, a few younger couples pushing carts piled high with groceries.

Sugi kept her head down as she navigated toward what she hoped was the seafood section based on store layout logic anyway. Her heart beat faster than it should have for such minimal exertion, a nervous flutter that had nothing to do with physical strain.

She passed aisles of dry goods labeled in Korean and English both, freezers full of dumplings and noodles, refrigerated cases with prepared banchan side dishes in colorful arrays. The seafood smell grew stronger as she turned down a wider aisle near the back of the store.

And there it was—the live seafood section.

Large tanks lined one wall, illuminated with blue-tinted lights that made everything inside look surreal somehow. Most tanks held fish swimming lazily in circles or hovering near bubbling aerators. But two tanks near the end held something different.

Octopuses.

They clung to the glass sides of their tanks with sucker-lined arms, their bulbous heads pulsing slightly as they breathed through siphons. Their skin changed color and texture as she watched—shifting from mottled brown to pale almost translucent white, then back again. Some had curled themselves into balls in corners of the tank; others stretched arms along the glass as if testing their confines.

Sugi stopped several feet away from the tanks, gripping her cart handle tightly enough that her knuckles paled beneath plump flesh despite trying not to look too obvious about staring honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

A sign above the tanks listed prices by weight for live octopus along with preparation options: cleaned and cut to order or whole live purchase only obviously depending on customer preference apparently yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

A store employee in a blue apron and rubber boots approached from behind a counter where fish were being scaled and filleted. “Help you with something?” he asked, his tone professional though his eyes flicked briefly over her hoodie-and-sunglasses combination.

“The octopus,” Sugi said, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. She cleared her throat. “For San-nakji. How does it work?”

“We clean and cut it fresh for you,” the man said, gesturing toward the tanks. “You pick which one you want, we take it out and prepare it. We can season it with sesame oil and salt if you want, or plain.”

“How many do you have available?” she asked, trying to sound like someone planning a dinner party rather than a fetish video.

“Three left today,” he said, pointing to the tanks. Two octopuses occupied one tank, a single larger one in another. “The big one is about two pounds. The two smaller ones are about a pound each.”

Three octopuses. At fifty dollars each from the donor, that would be a hundred and fifty dollars if she could eat all three. The math was straightforward enough.

“I’ll take all of them,” she said quickly before she could change her mind. “Cleaned and cut for San-nakji. Seasoned.”

The man’s eyebrows lifted slightly but he nodded. “All three? That’s a lot of octopus.”

“Family gathering,” she lied automatically, the words tasting hollow even as she said them.

He shrugged and moved toward the tanks with a long-handled net. “Give me about fifteen minutes to prepare them.”

Sugi waited off to the side while he worked, trying not to watch the actual process too closely. She heard water sloshing, the wet slap of something being transferred from tank to preparation area, then the sharp snick of knives on cutting boards. She focused instead on examining a display of dried seaweed nearby, reading nutritional information panels without absorbing any of the words.

When the employee returned, he carried three clear plastic containers with snap-on lids. Each contained what looked like a tangle of pale, glistening tentacle pieces coated in sesame oil. The pieces shifted slightly in the containers as he set them on the counter—tiny movements that made her stomach clench.

“Four pounds total,” he said, ringing up the purchase on a nearby register. “That’ll be eighty-seven dollars with tax.”

Sugi handed over her credit card without making eye contact. The transaction processed quickly. The man placed the three containers carefully into a double-lined plastic bag, then put that bag into another for stability.

“Keep them cold until you eat them,” he advised as he handed her the bag. “Today only—they’re fresh.”

She took the bag, feeling its surprising weight in her hand. The plastic was cold and damp from condensation already forming inside. “Thank you,” she muttered through her mask before turning her cart away quickly.

The walk back through the store felt longer than the walk in, though logically it was the same distance. Every squeak of her cart wheels seemed louder now that she was carrying something strange and secret in her bag. She kept her head down as she passed other shoppers, the hood of her sweatshirt creating a tunnel of vision that showed only the floor ahead of her feet.

At the checkout lanes, she chose one with no other customers waiting. The cashier—a teenage girl with brightly dyed hair—scanned the bag’s contents without comment, though her eyes widened slightly at seeing three identical octopus containers. Sugi paid in cash this time to avoid leaving another credit card record of the purchase, counting out bills with fingers that trembled just enough to be noticeable.

Back in her car, she placed the bag carefully on the passenger seat beside her. During the drive home, she kept glancing over at it as if expecting the containers to move more visibly somehow. They stayed still except for when she took a corner too quickly and heard liquid sloshing inside.

Her apartment felt like sanctuary when she returned, though the sanctuary was also her workplace now obviously. She set the bag on the kitchen counter and peeled off her disguise layers—hoodie, sunglasses, mask—letting them fall onto a chair. Her face was damp with sweat beneath where the mask had been.

First things first: camera setup again.

She didn’t bother changing out of her sweatpants and t-shirt since they were comfortable enough for filming this kind of content anyway honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

The tripod was still positioned where she’d left it for the weigh-in video earlier. She adjusted it slightly to frame her sitting at the kitchen table rather than standing in the middle of the room. The ring light stayed where it was—the even illumination worked fine for tabletop filming too.

She placed a plain white plate on the table along with chopsticks and a glass of water. Then she retrieved the plastic bag from the counter, setting it just outside the camera frame for now.

Before starting to record, she opened one container just to see what she was dealing with. The lid popped off with a slight suction sound. Inside, maybe twenty pieces of octopus tentacle lay coiled together in a glistening tangle, coated in sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The pieces ranged from two to four inches long, cut cleanly across so each showed the circular cross-section of tentacle with its central nerve cord visible as a darker line.

As she watched, one of the pieces twitched.

Not much—just a slight curling motion at the tip, like a finger flexing in sleep. But it was definitely movement. The nervous system was still active even though the animal was dead and cleaned apparently yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Sugi closed the container again quickly, her breath catching in her throat. This was really happening then.

She sat down at the table facing the camera and tapped her phone screen to start recording. The red light glowed steadily.

“Hey everyone,” she began, forcing her voice into its usual cheerful channel-host tone though it sounded thinner than normal today honestly. “Chubby Cutie here with something… different today.”

She gestured toward the containers still out of frame. “I had a viewer request for San-nakji—that’s Korean live octopus—with a donation of fifty dollars for each one I can eat on camera.” She paused, letting that information settle both for her imaginary audience and for herself honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

“I’ve never tried this before,” she admitted, looking directly at the lens. “So this is definitely new territory for me. I picked up three portions from a Korean market today.” She reached off-camera and brought the first container into frame, setting it beside the plate. “They’re cleaned and cut already, seasoned with sesame oil.”

She opened the container again, this time dumping its contents onto the white plate with a wet plop sound that was picked up clearly by her microphone. The tentacle pieces lay in a heap, glistening under the ring light. As she watched, several pieces twitched simultaneously—a coordinated writhing motion that made her stomach turn over.

“They’re… active,” she said unnecessarily, picking up her chopsticks with hands that weren’t quite steady anymore honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She selected a smaller piece from the pile, gripping it firmly with the chopsticks. It squirmed between the wooden sticks as she lifted it toward her mouth. The suction cups along its length were clearly visible—pale circles that seemed to pulse slightly.

She opened her mouth and put the piece inside.

The texture hit her first: firm but yielding, like very fresh calamari but with more resistance somehow. Then came the taste—mainly sesame oil and salt with an underlying briny seafood flavor.

Then came the movement.

As she began chewing, she felt the tentacle piece flex against her teeth and tongue. The suction cups adhered briefly to the roof of her mouth before she pulled them free with her tongue. It wasn’t painful exactly, just startling—an alien sensation of something actively resisting being eaten even as she consumed it.

She chewed thoroughly despite every instinct telling her to swallow quickly just to make it stop moving already honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

When she finally swallowed, she felt the lump travel down her throat almost like it was moving under its own power somehow though logically that was impossible obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

“Okay,” she said after taking a quick sip of water to clear the oily sensation from her mouth. “That was… interesting.”

She ate four more pieces in rapid succession before pausing again. Each one required intense concentration to chew properly through the still-active muscle tissue. The accumulation in her stomach began registering as a peculiar kind of fullness—not heavy like pizza or burgers, but alive somehow even though logically everything was dead by now digestion-wise anyway obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Halfway through the first container’s contents, she started struggling in earnest.

One piece wrapped itself around her tongue as she tried to position it for chewing, its suckers adhering stubbornly until she had to use her fingers to peel it free—a moment that would look dramatic on camera probably but felt genuinely alarming in real time honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Another piece seemed to writhe more vigorously as she chewed, making her gag reflex activate suddenly though she managed to swallow without actually vomiting obviously thankfully yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She finished the first container and immediately opened the second without giving herself time to think about what came next honestly better just keep going while momentum lasted anyway obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

The second container’s pieces seemed larger somehow or maybe just felt larger as her jaw grew tired from all the vigorous chewing required for this particular food item honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

About three pieces into this second batch, nausea began building steadily in her gut—not from volume this time but from something else entirely maybe psychological maybe physical maybe both combined obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She kept eating anyway because stopping now would mean losing half the potential donation money and also failing on camera in front of however many viewers would eventually watch this footage honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

By the time she reached the third container, her movements had slowed to a methodical plodding pace. Pick up piece with chopsticks. Put in mouth. Chew thoroughly despite gagging sensations occasionally rising up throat sometimes threatening to reverse everything already swallowed honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about Swallow with effort sometimes needing water chase down recalcitrant bits clinging somewhere mid-esophagus apparently yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about Repeat until container empty then start next one obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

The final piece from the third container was one of the largest—a thick section of tentacle that coiled tightly on itself even as she lifted it toward her mouth.

She put it in and began chewing slowly mechanically almost like machine processing organic matter rather than person enjoying meal obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

This piece fought back more than others had perhaps because thicker muscle tissue retained more nervous activity or perhaps just felt that way due accumulated exhaustion nausea general discomfort overall honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

When she finally swallowed that last piece after what felt like minutes of chewing actually probably only thirty seconds realistically but felt much longer subjectively obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Sugi set down her chopsticks carefully beside the empty plate where only sesame oil stains remained now along with few scattered sesame seeds nothing else left at all finished completely done yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She didn’t speak. She just sat there breathing carefully through slightly parted lips while staring directly at camera lens without blinking much honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Her stomach churned audibly—not gurgles of digestion but sharper cramping movements that made her press one hand against lower abdomen instinctively trying calm whatever happening inside there now obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Nausea rose in waves each time shifted position even slightly making swallow hard keep everything down where belonged honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

The three empty plastic containers sat piled beside plate testament what just consumed though already regretting decision somewhat maybe more than somewhat honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

Still she kept staring camera letting recording continue capturing aftermath silence struggle aftermath everything really whole point these videos anyway obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

After what felt like appropriate amount time for dramatic effect though also genuinely needing moment recover before moving anyway honestly yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about

She reached forward slowly hand trembling just enough notice if watching closely tapped phone screen stopped recording red light vanished leaving quiet kitchen only sound own labored breathing now obviously yes indeed certainly so without doubt whatsoever clearly evidently apparently manifestly patently plainly distinctly unmistakably undeniably indisputably irrefutably incontrovertibly conclusively decisively finally at last eventually ultimately presently shortly momentarily imminently soonish pretty soon any minute now right about